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What makes it great: hands-on area where kids can touch rays and sharks; live seal-training presentations; a penguin colony with more than 80 birds comprising three different species; a four-story, 200,000 gallon ocean tank filled with caribbean reef creatures, including sea turtles and stingrays

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Every summer, Discovery Channel airs Shark Week, a seven-day block of programming dedicated to some of the ocean’s most fascinating inhabitants. As educational as it can be, however, Shark Week comes with a heavy dose of sensationalism—think ominous music and water clouded with blood.
Like Discovery, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium is currently in the middle of a Shark Week of its own, one that’s just as informative, but more focused on debunking the animals’ bad reputation.
“There are over 300 different species of sharks out there, and there’s only a handful that are potentially dangerous,” says Lise Watson, Collections Manager of the aquarium’s Wild Reef exhibit. The Shedd’s special programming tends to underscore that point with events such as behind-the-scenes feedings, which put visitors face-to-face with the graceful predators. Afterward, viewers are probably more likely to find the featured sharks cute than terrifying.
Take the zebra shark, for instance. Despite its 12-foot length, Watson refers to zebra sharks as “the labrador retrievers of the sea. They’re playful, not aggressive at all. They’re not even going after fish. They’re going into caves and they’re crushing clams. If you’re a clam, be very afraid. Otherwise, not so much.”
This doesn’t mean Watson can’t appreciate overblown portrayals of sharks in pop culture. “No one in their right mind is taking [Sharknado] seriously. It’s entertainment. It’s fun. If anybody’s worrying about sharks falling from the sky, I think we’ve got bigger problems.”
Don’t live in Chicago? Here are 10 more aquariums around the country where you can get your shark fix.
Seattle Aquarium | Seattle, WA
The sharks at Seattle Aquarium aren’t in tanks—they’re below the aquarium itself. The surrounding waters of Puget Sound are home to the sixgill, the third largest predatory shark in the world. A permanent research station on the seafloor gives visitors video access to the mysterious fish.
Favorite shark: What else? The sixgill.
The Florida Aquarium | Tampa, FL
The Florida Aquarium takes pride in celebrating sharks all year long, but its Shark Week adds a scavenger hunt and dive shows into the mix.
Favorite shark: We’re partial to the sand tiger shark (pictured here with a diver) and its spooky, overly hooked teeth.
North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores | Pine Knoll Shores, NC
At Pine Knoll Shores, the sharks—as well as sea turtles and small fish—get to swim like specters through several replica shipwrecks, including a U-boat and a pirate ship possibly commandeered by Blackbeard.
Favorite shark: The bonnethead, often seen gliding through the Queen Anne’s Revenge.
Portland Aquarium | Milwaukie, OR
Although they’re not doing anything official for Shark Week, there’s always an option to “Sleep With the Sharks”—a sleepover right next to the tank, with an added film screening. Let’s hope it’s not Jaws.
Favorite shark: The epaulette shark (top right). Its spots look like tiny solar eclipses.
Aquarium of the Bay | San Francisco, CA
Inside a 350,000-gallon tunnel exhibit, visitors receive a bucket of seafood to feed to an underwater menagerie of sharks, skates, and rays.
Favorite shark: The sevengill shark, which, unlike most sharks, gives live birth to its offspring.
Newport Aquarium | Newport, KY
For Shark Week, Newport might have the most extensive list of activities of any aquarium on this list. Our favorite? A tutorial on how to properly touch a shark (without wearing a chainmail gauntlet).
Favorite shark: The California leopard shark. They’re used to rubbing up against aquatic plants, so they have no problem with humans touching them.
Monterey Bay Aquarium | Monterey, CA
One of the most renowned aquariums in the country, Monterey Bay features daily shows and feedings, and a variety of sharks across four different exhibits.
Favorite shark: The scalloped hammerhead shark, which actually prefers fish to scallops.
National Aquarium | Baltimore, MD
The Blacktip Reef bustles with 779 animals, from zebra sharks to tasseled wobbegongs, and of course, blacktip reef sharks. You can check out what’s going on in the reef right now via the aquarium’s live feed.
Favorite shark: We feel bad not saying the blacktip (after all, the reef’s named after it), but it’s got to be the wobbegong. It’s got camouflage!
Georgia Aquarium | Atlanta, GA
Want to see what the inside of a mako shark looks like? Then mosey on down to the Sea Monsters Revealed: Aquatic Bodies exhibit.
Favorite shark: As cool as the mako is, it’s also dead, so we’ll go with the four young whale sharks. The Georgia Aquarium’s the only institution outside of Asia to house these gentle giants.
Adventure Aquarium | Camden, NJ
Proud to have “the largest collection of sharks on the East Coast,” Adventure Aquarium is giving free top-of-tank tours for Shark Week, granting shark lovers an up-close look at dorsal fins cutting through the water’s surface. There’s also a 40-foot shark tunnel and a special Touch-a-Shark exhibit.
Favorite shark: The great hammerhead shark, the largest of which currently measures at 7 feet. The aquarium’s experts predict the fish still has a lot more growing to do though, as the biggest hammerhead on record clocks in at 20 feet.
More than a day’s swim from any of these animals? Check Groupon for aquarium and zoo tickets in your area.
Photos courtesy of Shedd Aquarium.

They may be boneless and brainless, but the jellies still haven’t worn out their welcome at Shedd Aquarium. We spoke with special exhibit collection manager Mark Schick, who offered five compelling reasons to give these less-than-cuddly creatures a second look.1. You’ll see jellies that are off the wall.Literally. “[Jellies] don’t know what walls are,” Mark explains. “They don’t really comprehend solid walls, so they can’t bump into [them] very well. They get beat up.” Because of this, each tank has a special circulation system that keeps the jellies in constant motion away from the walls—a huge design challenge, Mark admits.But whatever they lack in wall comprehension, the jellies more than make up for in appetite and appearance. The comb jellies eat up to 10 times their body weight each day, and the Japanese sea nettles are a sight to behold with prey-grabbing tentacles that can trail up to 10 feet behind them.2. You’ll get an awesome new Facebook cover photo.The goal of the exhibit, Mark says, is to alter visitors’ perceptions of these pulsating creatures, which generally range from “that sandy blob on the beach” to “that thing that’s going to sting you when you get in the water.” And it seems to be working—most visitors are shocked by the actual beauty of the jelly.“People stand in front of the exhibit with cameras for hours at a time,” Mark says. “We see lots of pictures posted on Facebook.” Your shutter finger will get a workout as you move from tank to tank, trying to capture the myriad shades of the blue blubber jelly or the otherworldly glow of the umbrella jelly.3. You won’t see the same jelly twice.Many of the jellies have extremely short lifespans—some barely last a month. Because of this, the Shedd staff is constantly replenishing the tanks with newborn jellies bred largely in-house, though they do source several species from the wild.Repeat visitors won’t just be seeing new jelly. They’ll also be seeing new species. The exhibit usually keeps about 13 species on display, rotating them seasonally. Last spring, for example, the Shedd shined a spotlight on exquisite Japanese spider jellies (also known as hairy jellies thanks to their tufts of thin, hair-like tentacles). These specimens are only on display for one month each year, making them a rare sight for visitors.4. You can put an end to the pee jokes.Mark and his staff are often asked how to neutralize jelly stings—a perfectly fine question, were the questioners not always smirking. “It always comes back to peeing on yourself,” he sighs. But the joke is apparently on them, as this technique doesn’t actually work. The best way to neutralize a sting is to rinse it with vinegar or very hot water—as hot as you can stand. “This helps denature the proteins in the venom,” Mark explains, and he should know. Just about every one of the Shedd’s jelly handlers has been stung at one point, despite wearing protective gloves. Reactions can vary from person to person, Mark says, but fortunately none of the jellies they keep are deadly.5. It just might make you hungry.You may walk away from the jellies exhibit with a deeper understanding of the incredible beauty and fascinating lifecycles of these sea creatures. Or you may just want to eat them. If so, one of your options is rubberband salad, a Chinese delicacy that incorporates blue blubber jellies. Diners generally describe the dish as “crispy, but elastic.”If gazing at these hypnotic creatures whets your appetite, you can try some for yourself without leaving the city. Moon Palace Restaurant in Chinatown serves jellies with turnip as an appetizer, and Lao 18 on the Near North Side features shanghai jellyfish as an entree.Photos courtesy of Shedd Aquarium. Like the Groupon Guide on Facebook for more articles like this one.